Hounds on the mound

MARIETTA,
Ga. — Matt Pope (2012, Science Hill HS, Tenn.) and Chase Mullins
(2012, Bourbon County HS, Ky.) have a lot in common. Both pitch for
the Huntington Hounds’ travel team. Both are committed to Kentucky.
And both throw in the low-90s.
There
is one small difference, however. Pope—who stands 6-foot-7—is a
right-hander, while Mullins—at 6-foot-9—throws from the left
side. A team with two towering pitchers who throw in the low-90s
from each side might be unfair, but it’s something opposing teams
at the PG/WWBA 18u National Championship will have to deal with.
“Their
ceilings are through the roof,” Huntington’s Head Coach, Caleb
Stewart, said. “If they figure it out, they’re going to be very
good pitchers for a very, very long time.”
Pitching
in record-high heat on Saturday, Pope showcased his talents, striking
out six of the seven batters he retired. He threw 89-91 mph
consistently, peaking at 92. Pope also flashed an upper-70s slider
that he used as an out pitch.
“It’s
usually not this hot in Tennessee,” Pope said. “It takes some
getting used to, I guess. Normally I throw a pretty good bit before I
go out on the mound, but today I just took it slow and kept calm the
whole time.”
The
Hounds jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. They put
up a five-spot in the third, highlighted by a two-run double off the
bat of Mullins. Trey Salisbury (2012, Boyd County HS, Ky.) pitched
3.2 innings in relief, holding off a late-inning rally in route to a
6-5 win over Syracuse Sports Zone Chiefs.
Saturday’s
win followed a 3-0 victory on Friday, in which Elijah Wellman (2013,
Spring Valley HS, W.Va.) tossed a complete game one-hit shutout.
After
the tournament’s second day, the Hounds are tied atop the Pool H
standings with NBS 18s and Xcel Baseball 18U. Sam Lee (2013,
Montgomery County HS, Ky.) has been the leading offensive contributor
through two games, going 4-for-7 with a triple, three RBI and three
stolen bases.
Mullins
is scheduled to start the Hounds’ 4:30 game tomorrow against
Chattanooga Baseball Club 18U at Hamilton Crossing Park.
“He’s
tough man, he’s tough to hit,” Coach Stewart said of Mullins.
“He’s a competitor, he’s got tons of heart and he loves this
game a lot. I’ll tell you what—the kid can swing, too. He hits
bombs.”
Mullins
doesn’t shy away from the praise and attention. This is his fifth
PG event, including the 2011 National Showcase, and he’s enjoyed
them all.
“The
Perfect Game tournaments are a lot of fun,” Mullins said. “They
bring in a lot of competition and the publicity from it is great.
It’s a great environment and you get to play some good baseball.
And you get better when you come out here.”
Mullins
didn’t start pitching seriously until eighth grade. Since then,
he’s lit up radar guns across the country, topping out at 94 mph
this spring. He was drafted in the 24th round by the Texas
Rangers in the June draft, but intends to honor his commitment with
Kentucky.
“I
like Kentucky and Coach (Gary) Henderson, who is a great pitching
coach,” Mullins said. “I think I’m going to get a lot better
and hopefully be a top three rounder out of college. I can get better
there, I can always get better.”
Mullins
is excited to think about what his future holds, and isn’t shy to
dream big.
“I
want to win a few SEC championships and a national championship,”
Mullins said. “I want to play on the USA Team, in the Cape Cod
League and make the All-Star team. And I want to get up to 100 mph
before I get done with college. I mean, if you don’t set your goals
high, how are you going to finish anywhere near them?”
Pope
echoed Mullins’ excitement.
“I
like their school, the coaches and the facilities,” Pope said of
Kentucky. “Everybody there is really nice; it just seemed like a
perfect fit for me.”
Pope
was drafted in the 38th round by the Pirates earlier this
month, but plans on joining Mullins in Lexington. While he has
primarily pitched out of the bullpen, he’s trying to build his
stamina as he works towards a starting role with the Wildcats. In the
meantime, he and his teammates are focused on one thing.
“I
think we can go pretty far in this tournament,” Pope said. “We’ve
got good players for sure.”
Coach
Stewart agrees.
“We
have some good hitters and a lot of good pitchers,” he said.
“Hopefully we can compete. We’ll try to go as far as we can.
We’re trying to put the Hound on the mound. We’re trying to get
into Jupiter; we want to go down to that tournament. But we also
understand we have to give them a reason to send us there, and that’s
what we’re here to do: To get the Hounds to the next level. It’s
going to start right here with these players. We have a lot of D-I
guys and they play hard. I love them to death; they’re a great team
to coach.”

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